Solitaire Card Games: What They Are and How to Get Started

Updated

Solitaire (also called patience) is a family of card games played by one person, and "solitiare" is simply a common misspelling of it. If you want to start playing, the quickest route is a free Windows collection such as 1st Free Solitaire, which bundles seven games — Yukon, FreeCell, Klondike, Flower Garden, Nestor, Bisley, and Carpet — for Windows 11/10/8/7/XP. If you want a much larger library and are willing to pay, BVS Solitaire Collection offers 570 games with a free 30-day trial and a $19.95 USD purchase price.

What "solitiare" actually refers to

The term covers any card game designed for a single player, usually with a standard 52-card deck. Games share a common shape: a starting layout of face-up and face-down cards, a goal (often building ordered sequences or clearing the table), and a set of legal moves. Because the genre is old and widely adapted, rule variations are common, so it helps to check the specific rules of whichever version you download.

The main variants and how they differ

The table below compares the games named in the 1st Free Solitaire collection plus Spider, which appears in the larger BVS collection.

Game Typical character What makes it different
Klondike The classic "solitaire" most people picture Build tableau columns in descending alternating colors; foundations ascend by suit
FreeCell Open information, skill-heavy All cards are dealt face-up; four free cells act as temporary holding spots
Spider Longer, more strategic Played with multiple decks; build descending same-suit runs to clear them
Yukon No stock pile All remaining cards are dealt into the tableau at the start; you move exposed stacks freely
Flower Garden, Nestor, Bisley, Carpet Less common patience games Each has its own layout and building rules; check in-game rules before playing

If you are new, start with Klondike or FreeCell — both are included in the free collection and are the easiest to learn.

Basic rules and goal for Klondike

Klondike is the best starting point because its goal is easy to state: move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one per suit, built from Ace up to King.

  1. Deal: Seven tableau columns, left to right, with one to seven cards; only the top card of each column is face-up. The rest of the deck forms the stock.
  2. Build the tableau: Place cards in descending order with alternating colors (e.g., a red 6 on a black 7). Moving a card exposes the face-down card beneath it, which you then flip.
  3. Use the foundations: Send Aces to the foundation piles as they appear, then build each suit upward.
  4. Draw from the stock: Turn over stock cards one at a time (or three at a time in some versions) and play them or place them on a waste pile.
  5. Win: All four foundations reach King.

A move you cannot undo in a physical deck is worth pausing on — in software, look for an undo feature before you commit.

Where to play: download vs. browser

  • Free Windows download: 1st Free Solitaire v2.4 is described as a free collection of seven games for Windows 11/10/8/7/XP. Its listed features include a "Show Next Move" command, one-move undo, selectable backgrounds, automatic card moving, restart, shuffle selection, and sound. Backgrounds and card backs can be customized, including with your own .bmp or .jpg images.
  • Paid, larger collection: BVS Solitaire Collection 9.0 for Windows XP through 11 includes 570 games — among them Spider, FreeCell, TriPeaks, Scorpion, Pyramid, Forty Thieves, and Canfield — plus resizable card sets and backgrounds. A free 30-day trial is offered; the full version is $19.95 USD.
  • Browser play: Useful when you do not want to install anything, but the source material here does not list specific browser sites, so verify rules and ads on whichever site you choose.

What to check before downloading free solitaire software

  • System compatibility: Confirm the version supports your Windows release (the free collection lists XP through 11).
  • Included games: Seven games is plenty for casual play; if you want Spider, TriPeaks, or Pyramid specifically, check the list — Spider is not among the seven in the free collection.
  • Features you rely on: Undo, hint/"next move," and restart matter more than visuals when you are learning.
  • Source and terms: Read the site's privacy policy and terms, and note that "free" applies to the 1st Free Solitaire download; the BVS collection is a paid product with a trial.

Start with Klondike in the free collection to learn the rhythm of the game, then move to FreeCell for a more open, puzzle-like challenge — and only consider the paid collection if you want a broad library of variants in one program.